Sleeping Arrangements
by SchrodingersMonster
Summary: Daryl notices Carol shivers when she sleeps... what will he do about it? Read to find out! Fluffy one shot!


**Came to me last night. Enjoy :3**

**oOoOo oOoOo oOoOo**

Daryl did his last round for the night, checking the fences to make sure no walkers could get in. He walked by them quietly, and in the darkness, none of the disgusting corpses could even distinguish him.

On his way back to his loft, so to speak, Daryl did what he called "Live Rounds." He poked his head into every cell to make sure everyone was alive and well. Maggie and Glen were sleeping back to back, each with one hand resting on their favorite weapon and the other entwined together. Herschel slept soundly, what was left of his leg elevated on a stack of pillows. Beth lay right above him, but she wasn't sleeping. She gave Daryl a nod before returning to the book she was reading by dim candlelight. Daryl returned the nod and went on, not even thinking of berating her for still being awake. Beth worked as hard as anybody in this prison, maybe harder to make up for how young she was, and he reckoned if reading about other places, places where this wasn't happening, well, he wasn't going to stop her.

His step faltered as he approached the next cell. Carol. He cautiously poked his head in, looking around and feeling almost like he was spying on her. From what the redneck could make out, the room was tidy, with minimal personal touches. His eyes came to rest on Carol, and he frowned. Her small form was shaking in the darkness like a leaf in a windstorm. At first Daryl thought she was crying, but then he noticed that the one shabby blanket she had exposed both her feet and her shoulders. His frown deepened. As he walked away to wake up Rick for his shift, he vowed to change that…

**The Next Night**

"Well, here's to another day of surviving." Herschel said, slapping Rick on the back lightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed." Everyone muttered their agreements, said their goodnights, and drifted off to their cells. Carol was just about to go when she felt a warm, calloused hand on her wrist, stopping her. She looked up to find Daryl Dixon, blue eyes staring down the couple inches of height difference they had at her.

"Would ya…" He struggled to find the words. "Would ya mind stayin' up with me a bit?" She smiled.

"Sure, just let me grab something from my cell and I'll be back." When Carol climbed up the steps to Daryl's loft, she found him sitting with his legs hanging over the edge, chin resting on the bottom rung of the railing. She hesitantly took a seat next to him, thin blanket draped around her shoulders. They sat in silence, the night whispering words into their minds enough to drown out any words they could have said.

_It's now or never_, Daryl thought, _if ya want to help her, you're gonna hafta take this step_. Hesitantly, almost as if afraid, Daryl put his arm around Carol's shoulders. He pulled her slightly closer, so their bodies were pressed together. She looked up at him questioningly, and he shrugged, embarrassed.

"I seen ya shivering last night, an' seeing as I'm practically a goddamn heater, I thought it would help." He looked way from her as he said it, not wanting to seem like he cared how she reacted. After a minute of silence, she layed her head against Daryl's broad shoulder, and let out a breath of contentment.

Carol could feel her eyes shutting against her will as soon as she started to warm up. She struggled to keep them open, because she knew if they closed she would have to say goodnight to the man beside her and go back to her cold, lonely cell. Her hand reached up and grabbed Daryl's where it was resting on her thin shoulder, twining their fingers together. He looked down at her, a small smile tugging on his lips.

"You can go to sleep if ya want. I'll keep ya safe." He said, squeezing her hand lightly.

"I know." She closed her eyes gratefully, not even able to answer before she fell asleep on his shoulder, her fingers never releasing their hold on him. He sat like that for hours, his shift passing in silence as usual, but this time, he was comforted by the woman beside him. By the fact that she was comfortable enough to fall asleep with him, that she trusted him to keep her safe. Daryl sighed almost with regret that his shift was over. He moved carefully, picking Carol up and laying her down on _his_ bed after a moment of hesitation. She stirred slightly, deep cerulean eyes opening to look at him questioningly.

"I'll be right back." He promised, rushing more than he usually would have to get his rounds done. He woke up Rick silently, shaking his shoulder and giving him a nod when he saw the other man's eyes open. Rick preferred to take watch in the courtyard, so him and Daryl headed opposite ways out of the cell.

Carol felt it immediately when Daryl crawled into bed next to her, and not just because he was radiating heat. No, it probably had something to do with the fact that one arm was draped over her stomach, one resting under her head, and his face pressed into her back. She was once again struggling to stay awake, and enjoy the feeling of a man sleeping with her, something she had never really experienced happily, safely. But with Daryl, she could. She gave in to her body, snuggling back into Daryl and letting her eyes close in sleep.

When Beth woke up to take the first shift with Judith, she noticed Carol was not in her cell. Worried but not panicking yet, she went to wake up Daryl, figuring he could find her the fastest. She opened her mouth to yell his name and wake him up, but clamped it shut again when she saw them.

The two of them were tangled up in his bed together, legs draped across each other, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Beth tip toed away quietly, not wanting to disturb the happiness and normality they found in each other.

**oOoOo oOoOo oOoOo**

**Hope you liked! R&r if you did, I take requests, cheers C:**


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